Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Just a few more weeks and we'll be making the big transition into the great big world. We have no idea what that means yet.

We don't know where we're going or when or how...we just know we're going to do it.

To add to the excitement, I am with the kids in Idaho in Idaho waiting for him while he finishes school out in West Virginia. He's so far away.

But he's *this close* to being done!

I'm staying in a room in my parents' house that has been in the middle of a bit of a makeover for a few years now. The walls used to be covered in wood paneling but that has now been taken down leaving the walls deeply scarred with old, dry glue. It's not very pretty.

But, it is a space of my own that is being very generously given to me by very loving and helpful parents.

So, while I'm here, I've decided to make the most of it and create in that room a place of beauty and peace.

Enter these nice little signs I found at, of all places, an Army surplus store:

They're nice, right? I do love words and these words are nice and uplifting.

But, that's not what I bought them for.

=)

I have some necklaces that needed a place to hang out and these pretty wooden blocks looked like they wanted the job.

I found some pretty fabric in my stash and set to work.

First I cut it to fit.

Then I wrapped the block up like a present...

Only I used a lot of hot glue and fabric.

No one will be opening this present for quite a while...or ever.

They make me happy to look at!

I screwed some little hookies in the bottom (which was the hardest part of the whole project! That wood was hard!) and put some nails in the wall, and hung them up.

Tada!

*Please note how the right kind of editing can make any wall look lovely. It's almost like I did that on purpose!*

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Have you ever etched glass? No! Have you ever wanted to learn how?! Oh, yes!!!!!!

It is so easy. You will be wondering why you didn't join the etched glass bandwagon sooner!

Start with a piece of glass.

Any form will do.

Except for one with sharp edges. That could get dangerous.

And probably you should make sure it is clean.

Pick a design...or some words...maybe a pretty little picture...and create a stencil.

I used my Silhouette and some contact paper.

The shape of my little vase made it a little tricky with the curve of the glass and all, but I managed.

Stick your stencil to the glass (this is where it helps to have an actually sticky stencil and not something you would have to hold in place). Make sure it is good and stuck and that the edges are smooth with no bubbles or possible points of etching cream leakage.

Once it is etched, it is etched for good!

Place the cream. I used an old paintbrush to dab it on and I tried to be pretty generous.

It's pretty cool to watch actually. The little glass munchers in that cream will seem to pull themselves away from the stencil and onto the glass.

munch, munch, munch

You really don't have to wait for long. Everything I read said it only takes a couple minutes. I waited about 20...just to be safe.

And because I was playing.

Then take your glass over to the sink and run it under the water.

Simple as that!

You can even rub it off with your fingers. In fact, you kind of have to.

Try not to freak out (like I did) because it might kind of look like the glass hasn't been etched...

But it has!

Woohoo!

Have fun!

P.S. Be aware, however, that if your glass is Pyrex, it probably won't work. That stuff is tough!

Monday, February 24, 2014

"The joy in motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenge, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction."

--Elder M. Russell Ballard

I don't have a lot of pictures of myself. The pictures I take are most often of my kids or a project. Sometimes I get the Mister in a picture and sometimes I get one of us together, but very rarely is there just a picture of me.

I'd like to remedy that. I want my kids to look through old pictures and see me growing and changing with them.

The following pictures were not taken with the intention of posting them here, but once I looked at them they made me so happy that I had to share!

I was folding the laundry that was piled high on my bed. My little man, W (who, by the way, is now a very busy 18-month-old toddler), was playing on the bed and I pulled out my camera to capture his sweetness.

But, he didn't want to be in front of the camera. He was much more interested in what was happening on the back of the camera. So, I pointed the camera at myself and took some pictures of myself for him to see.

He giggled and clapped and smiled for each new pose. Some of them, he even mimicked and then laughed some more.

It was a fun and playful moment.

What really struck me when I was looking back at the pictures was that the simple thing bringing him so much joy was me. It wasn't the magic of the camera, it was the joy of looking at my face!

He was seeing a face that loves him. Every day. Every second. No matter what.

A face that takes time away from the mundane laundry to play with him.

I am his mother and something about these pictures reflects how special and powerful that opportunity is. I will watch him grow up. No, more than that, I will be beside him as he grows and learns...as he fails and tries again and succeeds. I will teach him love. I will teach him strength. I will teach him kindness and joy.

I will struggle. I will get frustrated some days and I will fall short many times. But, I will always be there for him and his sisters. And, they will always be my joy.